I can't speak for everyone, but I read conversational prose a lot faster than dense technical writing. If I were to read enough of each style to absorb the same

I can't speak for everyone, but I read conversational prose a lot faster than dense technical writing. If I were to read enough of each style to absorb the same amount of information, I don't think it's safe to assume I would spend less time on the dense material just by virtue of its length.